Ask Metafilter

Does anyone belong to the ask metafilter site?
http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/22111

You apparently get to pay $5 to answer people's questions.

There's a gentleman there asking about microtonality, but I refuse to
pay to answer his question. Has anyone already paid and would be
willing to point him to the MakeMicroMusic or Tuning groups at Yahoo
groups?

Here's what he asked:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Can anyone recommend a book on musical scale systems/microtonality?

I'm looking for something that doesn't assume the reader has a lot of
knowledge already, and explains the maths in a clear way, but is
complete enough to use as a practical guide for experimenting with the
scales. I'd like it to spend time on modern tunings and scales from
around the world, rather than loads about the history of even temperament.

If there's anything on the web along these lines I'd be interested as
well.

I'm on there, so I posted this response (this is just the text, but you can imagine the embedded links):

I'd recommend Kyle Gann's web page Just Intonation Explained and the book The Just Intonation Primer. You should also check out two good Yahoo discussion groups: MakeMicroMusic and Tuning.

- Dave

---
Dave Seidel
[blog] http://superluminal.com/dave/weblog
[music] http://mysterybear.net

Prent Rodgers wrote:
> Does anyone belong to the ask metafilter site?
> http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/22111
> > You apparently get to pay $5 to answer people's questions. > > There's a gentleman there asking about microtonality, but I refuse to
> pay to answer his question. Has anyone already paid and would be
> willing to point him to the MakeMicroMusic or Tuning groups at Yahoo
> groups?
> > Here's what he asked:
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> Can anyone recommend a book on musical scale systems/microtonality?
> > I'm looking for something that doesn't assume the reader has a lot of
> knowledge already, and explains the maths in a clear way, but is
> complete enough to use as a practical guide for experimenting with the
> scales. I'd like it to spend time on modern tunings and scales from
> around the world, rather than loads about the history of even temperament.
> > If there's anything on the web along these lines I'd be interested as
> well. > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > > > > > >

I'm sorry, but I find it a bit unfair to direct someone who asked
about musical scale systems, microtonality, modern tunings, and
especially scales from around the world to two highly JI-biased works
by two highly JI-biased authors. JI is a wonderful thing but
shoehorning world tunings into JI frameworks or claiming that many
world tunings are in fact JI tunings does a great disservice to the
musical cultures using these tunings. I'll try to get back to this
later but as a start, I'd recommend the New Grove as one source for
many world tunings.

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Dave Seidel <dave@s...> wrote:
> I'm on there, so I posted this response (this is just the text, but
you
> can imagine the embedded links):
>
> I'd recommend Kyle Gann's web page Just Intonation Explained and
the
> book The Just Intonation Primer. You should also check out two good
> Yahoo discussion groups: MakeMicroMusic and Tuning.
>
> - Dave
>
> ---
> Dave Seidel
> [blog] http://superluminal.com/dave/weblog
> [music] http://mysterybear.net
>
>
>
> Prent Rodgers wrote:
> > Does anyone belong to the ask metafilter site?
> > http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/22111
> >
> > You apparently get to pay $5 to answer people's questions.
> >
> > There's a gentleman there asking about microtonality, but I
refuse to
> > pay to answer his question. Has anyone already paid and would be
> > willing to point him to the MakeMicroMusic or Tuning groups at
Yahoo
> > groups?
> >
> > Here's what he asked:
> > --------------------------------------------------------------
> > Can anyone recommend a book on musical scale
systems/microtonality?
> >
> > I'm looking for something that doesn't assume the reader has a
lot of
> > knowledge already, and explains the maths in a clear way, but is
> > complete enough to use as a practical guide for experimenting
with the
> > scales. I'd like it to spend time on modern tunings and scales
from
> > around the world, rather than loads about the history of even
temperament.
> >
> > If there's anything on the web along these lines I'd be
interested as
> > well.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >

off course if you sent them here the bias would be ET and temperments.
JI is a good place to start anyways as all this other stuff appoximates it.
I personally also have my own World Scale depository. which so far hits many of the big world hitters
Paul Erlich wrote:

>I'm sorry, but I find it a bit unfair to direct someone who asked >about musical scale systems, microtonality, modern tunings, and >especially scales from around the world to two highly JI-biased works >by two highly JI-biased authors. JI is a wonderful thing but >shoehorning world tunings into JI frameworks or claiming that many >world tunings are in fact JI tunings does a great disservice to the >musical cultures using these tunings. I'll try to get back to this >later but as a start, I'd recommend the New Grove as one source for >many world tunings.
>
>
>--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Dave Seidel <dave@s...> wrote:
> >
>>I'm on there, so I posted this response (this is just the text, but >> >>
>you > >
>>can imagine the embedded links):
>>
>>I'd recommend Kyle Gann's web page Just Intonation Explained and >> >>
>the > >
>>book The Just Intonation Primer. You should also check out two good >>Yahoo discussion groups: MakeMicroMusic and Tuning.
>>
>>- Dave
>>
>>---
>>Dave Seidel
>> [blog] http://superluminal.com/dave/weblog
>>[music] http://mysterybear.net
>>
>>
>>
>>Prent Rodgers wrote:
>> >>
>>>Does anyone belong to the ask metafilter site?
>>>http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/22111
>>>
>>>You apparently get to pay $5 to answer people's questions. >>>
>>>There's a gentleman there asking about microtonality, but I >>> >>>
>refuse to
> >
>>>pay to answer his question. Has anyone already paid and would be
>>>willing to point him to the MakeMicroMusic or Tuning groups at >>> >>>
>Yahoo
> >
>>>groups?
>>>
>>>Here's what he asked:
>>>--------------------------------------------------------------
>>>Can anyone recommend a book on musical scale >>> >>>
>systems/microtonality?
> >
>>>I'm looking for something that doesn't assume the reader has a >>> >>>
>lot of
> >
>>>knowledge already, and explains the maths in a clear way, but is
>>>complete enough to use as a practical guide for experimenting >>> >>>
>with the
> >
>>>scales. I'd like it to spend time on modern tunings and scales >>> >>>
>from
> >
>>>around the world, rather than loads about the history of even >>> >>>
>temperament.
> >
>>>If there's anything on the web along these lines I'd be >>> >>>
>interested as
> >
>>>well. >>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> >>>Yahoo! Groups Links
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> >>>
>>>
>>>
>>> >>>
>
>
>
>
>
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
> >
>
>
> >

--
Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island <http://anaphoria.com/>
The Wandering Medicine Show
KXLU <http://www.kxlu.com/main.html> 88.9 FM Wed 8-9 pm Los Angeles

Paul,

{you wrote...}
>I'm sorry, but I find it a bit unfair ...

That was just one person's answer. Anyone else can chime in, and I'm sure your input would be most welcome, especially if you can point out some other internet and non-internet resources that are easily available. You might also put up a web site of your own research, but it doesn't seem to be a priority. At least the person has *some* information to go on at this point.

So far, for all the years of the tuning list (and all the people that tune outside of those forums) I have yet to see one relatively concise online resource that maintains a balance of the many possible avenues for tuning. It needs to be done, but most of the people involved in the field match their abundance of jargon and dense mathematics with a seeming inability to clearly and carefully explain the matter, and I wonder if we'll ever find the one or more persons who can bridge the gap.

In the meantime, don't complain, just go correct what you find is an injustice!

Cheers,
Jon

On 4 Aug 2005, at 21:46, Jon Szanto wrote:
> It needs to be done, but most of the people involved in the field > match
> their abundance of jargon and dense mathematics with a seeming > inability to
> clearly and carefully explain the matter...

Speaking of which, microtonal.co.uk is back!

Graham